Are You Nervous?
by E. M. Zeray
Summary: Katie wants to find out if she can make her boyfriend nervous. I was going to call it "Don't Say No," but decided on this instead. Adult themes, but nothing too heavy. T just in case.


**A/N: Frickin' ridiculous how I keep forgetting to put disclaimers in everything I do! FOR ONCE AND FOR ALL: I DO NOT OWN PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS! DO I LOOK LIKE RICK RIORDAN? EXACTLY. Sigh… Read and review to make me feel better about me constantly neglecting disclaimers.**

**So the title is Are You Nervous, but I considered naming it, "Don't Say No." I'm not sure which one I like better… Anyway… continue on, read, review, be merry, but not Mary, cuz that's my aunt and she wouldn't appreciate identity theft. God, that was so lame. Review to make me feel better about me lame-ass joke.**

Travis pulled his girlfriend of one year into his arms and smiled down at her. Rolling her eyes, Katie held onto his arms.

"Can I help you?" she teased.

"Actually, I believe you can. See, I'd really like a kiss from this girl named Katie—"

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her, kissing him fiercely. Travis fisted his hands in her long hair, securely holding her face against his. Travis Stoll still couldn't believe—even after a year—that she was his. They were nineteen and counselors at camp, and happened to be in the empty Demeter cabin as they kissed.

The younger ones had gone to breakfast, leaving the couple together…alone.

"Guess what I caught your little brother doing with an Aphrodite girl earlier today," Katie insisted, still kissing him. "Playing Are You Nervous."

He pulled back, his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What?"

"Your half-brother, Mark? With Gabbie? They were playing Are You Nervous."

Still, the look remained.

Katie sighed, smiling. "You don't know what that is?"

Travis shook his head, no. "It sounds ridiculous."

"Oh, it is. But I guess I could teach you how to play, sometime."

He arched an eyebrow. "Okay?"

The daughter of Demeter smirked. "Oh, that's gonna be fuuuuuun…"

0000000000

They were in his apartment, watching a movie, two months later. Travis had forgotten, Katie hadn't. In fact, it was all she had been thinking about. Well, not exactly, but to some extent. His arm was around her, the other laying limply on his leg. And when Katie's hand settled on the other leg, gently on his knee, he stiffened. What was she doing? Whatever, he told himself. Focus on the movie…

And then the hand started sliding up. Slowly. So that by the time the movie was over, two hours later, her hand was up to mid-thigh, reaching the Naughty-Outright Naughty border and pausing. He prayed to every god he could think of that she not realize the effect this had on the tightness of his jeans and the embarrassing situation going on that resulted in the aforementioned tightness.

"Are you nervous?" she whispered.

He cleared his throat. "About what?"

Her hand moved up a little, her pinkie crossing the border. He swallowed tightly.

"How about now?"

"No."

And they played this game, until Travis had no choice but to scoot to the other end of the couch to control his breathing. He stood, turned away.

"You're trying to kill me."

But she wasn't. She just…didn't know how to tell him, how to get the message across without seeming desperate. She didn't want him to say no. She wanted to be with him. To spend the night for once. To feel what it was like to have him holding her so tightly that she couldn't breathe, but didn't want to if it meant he released her.

"Does that mean you're nervous, Travis?" Katie asked, resorting to shameless teasing and flirting so she didn't cry with rejection. "That means you lose the game, ya know."

He looked her way again. She was poised on the edge of the couch, as if getting ready to jump up and leave. Her lips were parted, her hair was falling around her face out of her ponytail, and the T-shirt was wearing was too small for her, clinging to parts of her tightly… On second thought, it was the perfect size.

"Game?"

She opened her mouth and held it like that for a second, before closing it and her eyes. "I should go."

"No, wait, Katie." He took a step forward. Katie had stood and now they were standing in front of one another, chests almost meeting. "Don't. Please. I…I got a little distracted."

Katie rested her head on Travis's chest. "Can we talk?"

"Of course."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. He stroked her hair soothingly. "I don't exactly know how to say this, so I guess I'll just…say it."

"Wait," Travis muttered, grabbing her chin and forcing her to look up at him. "Are you okay?"

Her heart almost broke. What was she so sad about? It was just one silly little desire. If he said no… What if he said no? But then again, look at how he had reacted to her game. He wanted her. Bad. Possibly. Maybe.

She couldn't speak. She didn't trust her mouth. Instead, she yanked Travis down to her height, kissed him passionately. And it was going great. He was hesitant at first, still wondering what she was on about, but eventually warmed up and slid his strong arms around her. One thing she admired about Travis Stoll: his big arms. They were perfect for a hug. Or a lover's embrace?

Taking a shaky breath, she put her hands at his waistband. He barely noticed. Her hands moved up, pushing up his shirt. She felt his stomach muscles quiver and tighten as she ran her hands over them. Gods, he was ripped. Why hadn't she seen him shirtless, yet? It had been a year!

"Hey," he said, backing up. "Wh-what's all this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked breathlessly.

Travis thought for a moment. At the beginning of their relationship, he had vowed to never push her. They both saw how Connor was with girls. He didn't want her thinking that he was the same way. No offense to his brother, but he wasn't the greatest guy to be compared to when a girl was involved. He loved Katie. He had told her so early in their relationship. And with love came attraction, but that was easy to handle. Mainly because she didn't do anything to push his limits.

The truth hit him like a ton of bricks—the realization.

"Are you sure?" he whispered.

Their eyes met. She looked like she was about to cry. "Absolutely."

"Positive? No regrets? No second thoughts?"

She shook her head, no. "Never."

With a nearly silent groan, Travis brought her lips back to his. And as they stumbled towards his bedroom, pausing a moment at the door as shirts flew onto the couch, along with sneakers and flats left at the door, and a belt lying half inside the room, half out, Katie wanted to weep with relief. He didn't say no. He wanted her. He loved her. And she had the ability to make him nervous.

**A/N: I thought it was heart-felt. Kind of. In a trashy, hormonal kind of way, I guess. Review, my loves, and tell me what you think of my new favorite pairing: Tratie! Btw, I just had to brag and say that I wrote this in 45 minutes. Very proud of myself.**

**Love always,**

**E. M. Zeray**


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